


It Begins Like This

by Zipties_and_Tripods



Category: Marble Hornets
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Blood, M/M, Not Rated In Order to Avoid Spoilers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Paranormal Investigators, Rating To Be Added, THAC Secret Santa 14
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-01 16:50:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2780555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zipties_and_Tripods/pseuds/Zipties_and_Tripods
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex Kralie and Tim Wright are hunters, but not of the normal sort. They protect people who don't even know they are in danger from the paranormal. A new monster, one they have never faced before shows itself and begins to wreak havoc. Are Tim and Alex prepared to face this? And will they come out unscathed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lead

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kayleigh-makara](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kayleigh-makara).



> This was written for the THAC Secret Santa '14 for the awesome kayleigh-makara! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Tim sat, slightly hunched over in the uncomfortable chair. This was torture. He was forced to sit through this every day for six hours, and all he wanted to do was get out. There was so much more he could be doing. These people would never understand all he’s done to make sure they can sit here, and learn whatever it is they were learning about today.  
The bell sounded, and Tim shot up from his desk. He gathered up his things and shoved them into his bag, wincing slightly as he heard paper crunch and what sounded like a pencil snapping in two.  
“Remember to cite your papers!” Ms. Murray called to the retreating teenagers.  
Tim barely heard her, he was already halfway into the hallway. He wove through the crowd, arriving at his locker. He opened it, grabbed his keys and jacket, and slammed it shut.  
As soon as he got outside, he breathed a sigh of relief. The bright sunshine warmed him and helped to ease the tension in his shoulders. This was where he felt at home, outside and away from the confines of Marble Heights High School, home of the Hornets.  
_Just one more month,_ Tim thought. One more month and then he would never have to come back here again. Graduation just couldn’t come quick enough for Tim. 

“Tim!”

Tim turned towards his name and couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. Alex was jogging towards him, his backpack slung over one shoulder and his ever present camera bag on the other. As Alex pulled up beside him, Tim reached out and took some of the papers that were threatening to topple out of Alex’s hands.  
“What is all of this?” Tim asked.  
“Research.” Alex answered, “I’ll tell you about it in the car.”

The two walked out into the parking lot and to Tim’s car. Alex wasted no time to start complaining.  
“I don’t know why you always have to park so far away.” He whined and draped himself dramatically across the trunk.  
Tim grinned and pushed him off, opening the trunk and tossing in his backpack. Alex did the same with his own and the camera bag. Tim shut the trunk and got in the car. Alex dropped into the passenger seat and took the papers from Tim’s hand.  
“You know, if you would drive your own car you wouldn’t have to worry about parking far away. I know if it were up to you, you’d get here before the teachers.” Tim teased as he turned the key in the ignition.  
“But no, I have to suffer because my boyfriend insists on getting here five minutes before the last bell.” Alex sighed deeply and looked out the window. He couldn’t resist peeking at Tim though to see his reaction. 

Tim was smiling as he reached to grab Alex’s hand and laced their fingers together. “Maybe,” he said as he started backing out of the parking spot. “this boyfriend is just trying to make sure you get some walking in to your busy schedule of research and video editing.”  
Alex laughed and squeezed Tim’s hand, “I think I get enough exercise from our hunts.”  
“We haven’t been on a hunt in weeks Alex.” Tim glanced at the other man and gave him a look.  
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about!” Ales said suddenly, pulling his hand away and starting to rifle through the papers on his lap. “I got a lead.”  
Tim slowed for a stoplight, “On what?”  
“Remember last year, I think it was a few towns over, those teenagers disappeared?” Alex said.  
“Yeah, yeah I remember.” Tim accelerated and flicked his blinker on, changing lanes to get around a particularly slow truck. “They all went into the woods and just, didn’t come back right?”  
“Five of them. All they found was one of their phones and a little handheld camera. But the strange part was that the things were almost completely unusable. The footage was entirely corrupted, all static and white noise, except for a single frame.” 

Tim pulled into Alex’s driveway and took the paper from his boyfriend’s hands. The picture was black and white. In the center was something vaguely resembling human. The figure was extremely skinny and, from the angle the camera had been at, looked very tall. The limbs were stretched, its legs entirely too long for its torso and its hands resting just above its knees. The graininess of the photo blurred it so bad, the thing appeared to not have a face, which added to the overall unsettling feeling Tim got from it. He handed it back to Alex and shut off the car. “Where did you get this? And what does it have to do with us? You usually ignore anything over six months old.”  
Alex grinned, “Where I get my information is a secret, known only to me and my computer.” He opened the car door and got out. Tim did the same and popped the trunk so they could retrieve their bags.  
“But what is it to us?” Tim repeated as he walked with Alex to the door.  
“Someone posted pictures to the ParaForums last night. It’s the same thing, I’m sure of it.” Alex replied. He nudged at a box in the porch with his toe. “Can you get that?”  
Tim nodded and suppressed a laugh as Alex carefully opened the door without dropping the papers. 

“Hey boys!” Came a female voice from further inside the house.  
“Hi mom!”  
“Hey Mrs. K!”  
The two shut the door and kicked off their shoes. Alex’s mother peeked her head out from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel. “Tim, your mom called and said something’s come up at the office and she wouldn’t be home until late. I told her you were staying for dinner.”  
“Mrs. K, that’s not necessary! I’ve got food at home I can make.” Tim said.  
Mrs. Kralie gave him a look that only moms could, “And how much of that doesn’t involve a microwave?”  
“Uh…” Tim shifted on his feet.  
“I thought so. Dinner’s in an hour.”  
“Thanks Mom.” Alex said and he started up the stairs, Tim close behind.  
“And boys?”  
The two stopped on the stairs and looked over the railing.  
“Door open and no summoning _anything_.”  
“Mom that was _one_ time.” Alex said, sounding exasperated. “I thought we were over that.”  
“Not until you get the scorch marks out of the ceiling.”  
Tim laughed and pushed Alex, encouraging him up the stairs, “Don’t worry Mrs. K, I’ll keep him in check.”

Alex dropped his backpack on the floor of his room after pulling out his laptop. He sat on the leather desk chair and powered up the machine. Tim unceremoniously let his bag fall next to Alex’s before flopping on to the bed and letting out a sigh.  
“You’re getting stuff off the ParaForums again?” Tim asked, “Last time we used those we got a werewolf that turned out to be a stray Labrador with a case of mange.”  
“This is different.” Alex said as he navigated to the thread he wanted, “Look.” He turned the computer towards Tim.

Time sat up and squinted at the screen. Two pictures were set side-by-side. Both showed figures similar to the one on the paper that Alex was now holding up next to the computer.  
“How do you know it’s not just a photo manipulation?” Tim asked, suspicious of anything on this specific website.  
“The OP says that he and his buddy were out exploring in the woods around their town. They were checking out this old hospital they had been hearing stories about since they were kids. He says that they weren’t even in the building for five minutes before things started happening,” Alex began to read the text that accompanied the photos, “’Both of us got these splitting headaches at the same time, it felt like my head was going to explode. Neither of us could stop coughing. Brian could barely stand and I had to practically drag him outside. I don’t even remember half the walk back. When I could actually function again, I looked at the footage on the camera we had brought with us. It wouldn’t turn on, even after I charged it. The memory card was barely working and all of the footage was messed up. The only clear thing was this, whatever it is. It only shows up for a second on the recording. Neither Brian or I remember seeing anyone else there and we definitely didn’t see that.’  
“They’re the same Tim. This picture,” He wiggled he photo in his hand, “was never released to the public. And, to top it off, it was in Tuscaloosa.”  
“The same place the kids disappeared.” Tim said quietly.  
“Exactly.”  
Tim leaned back on his elbows, “What do you think it is?”  
Alex shrugged and set the paper down, “I’m not really sure. I was thinking just your standard spirit, it matches the electronics spazzing out.”  
“But the disappearances, the headaches, coughing, and potential memory loss along with it? That’s a lot for a ghost.” Tim replied.  
“Rakshasa? That would explain how it looks.”  
“Rakshasa don’t ruin electronics and they don’t make you sick either.”

The two settled into silence as they brainstormed what they were looking at. Tim watched Alex open and look through his own records, trying to match anything to this new monster. Tim let his arms collapse beneath him and he settled onto his back, staring at Alex’s slightly singed ceiling. He felt the bed dip and a warmth pressed into his side. Turning his head, Tim glanced at his boyfriend, noting the frustration that pinched the corners of his eyes. Alex never liked it when he couldn’t find the information he wanted. Tim’s fingers searched until he found Alex’s. He squeezed, happy when Alex returned the gesture.  
“We’ll figure it out. We always do.” Tim said and he bumped his elbow into the other man’s side when he didn’t respond. “Hey,”  
Alex looked at Tim and sighed, “I know, it’s just annoying.”

“Boys! Dinner’s ready!”  
Tim leapt up, dragging Alex with him, “We can look again after we eat.”  
Alex laughed and kissed Tim on the cheek, “Stop being right all the time.”  
Tim grinned and together the two went downstairs.


	2. Preparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two of my THAC Secret Santa gift to kayleigh-makara! I hope you enjoy! ~

Tim and Alex had practically grown up together. It was bound to happen as the sons of two hunting families in the same town. Tim’s father had moved him and his mother when Tim was five. He said he was tired of city life and their small apartment. So they moved to the small town of Marble Heights, and settled into a single-family home.  
Just a few weeks later, his dad heard of a rogue vampire an hour away and had gone to take it out. He returned just one day later, with Mr. Kralie at his side. The two of them became fast friends and wasted no time introducing their families to each other. 

Tim can clearly remember meeting Alex. Mr. Kralie brought his son and wife to the Wright household for dinner. Their friendship had been instant. They bonded over video games and the stories their dads had told them of previous hunts. The two became an unstoppable team, handling their first spirit together in sixth grade. Now, in their senior year, they had vanquished too many evil things to count and had saved each other multiple times. Along the way they had grown close, and it had been no surprise to their families when they had told them they had decided to begin dating. 

*~

Tim leaned back into the chair and sighed contentedly, “Mrs. Kralie, you never cease to stuff me full of your delicious food.”  
The woman laughed as she gathered up plates, “Thank you Tim! Now, help me clear the table and then get on home. Your mother should be home by now.”  
Tim and Alex helped her bring the dishes into the kitchen and stack them in the dishwasher. After that, the boys returned upstairs to grab Tim’s things.

“Remember, I’m coming to get you bright and early.” Alex said as they walked to the front door.  
Tim groaned, “Why? Tuscaloosa’s only an hour away!”  
The other grinned and gave Tim a quick peck on the lips before shoving him towards the door, “The early bird gets the worm! Haven’t you ever heard that before?”  
Tim was all drama as he opened the door, sighs and rolled eyes. He continued the act down the walkway and into the driveway by walking hunched over and slow. He flung open his car door and tossed his backpack into the passenger seat before saying loudly, “My boyfriend doesn’t love me!”  
“You’re such a dork!” Alex yelled from the front door.  
Tim laughed and got into his car. He started it up, backed out of the driveway, and honked once as he passed by the Kralie household. 

~*

Tim woke to his phone buzzing loudly on the nightstand. He blindly reached out, knocking his hand into the edge of the table before grasping the vibrating machine. He silenced the alarm and groaned into his pillow.  
 _It’s 6am. Who is functioning at 6am? Why did he think 6am was an acceptable time to be awake?_  
Tim finally dragged himself out of the bed before he fell asleep again. The last thing he wanted was Alex to barge in and find him sleeping. That would be much worse than getting up. The first and only time so far Tim had done that, he had been woken up to a glass of ice water to the face. Not something he was looking to try again.  
He trudged down the hall into the kitchen, pulling open the cabinets to grab a bowl for cereal. 

“Tim?”

He looked over his shoulder to see his mom standing in the doorway of the kitchen, already dressed for work.  
“Hey mom.”  
“It’s Saturday! What in the world are you doing up?”  
“Alex and I got a lead on something in Tuscaloosa and he wants to get there early.” Tim replied as he sat down at the table, bowl of Cheerios in front of him.  
“You’re going on a hunt? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”  
“He just heard about it yesterday Mom. We’re coming back tonight. Don’t worry, we’ll be safe.”

Mrs. Wright gave him a small smile, “Ok. Please be careful and call me or text me, ok? Your father too. He should be back on Monday anyway.” She went over and gave him a quick kiss on the head. “I love you, I’m not staying late tonight so I’ll be home when you get back.”  
“Love you too.”

With that she headed off to work.

Tim finished his cereal and washed the bowl in the sink. It didn’t take him much longer to get ready after that. A quick change from sweatpants into jeans and throwing on his favorite red flannel shirt took care of his clothes. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to brush out the knots and get it to lay flat before gathering up his things. Tim stuck his sheathed knife into the small duffel bag on his bed along with salt, matches, and a few other odds and ends that might come in handy. This trip was meant to be research, but one never knew when a monster might decide to appear. 

As he slung the bag onto his shoulder, Tim heard the front door open and then a voice called from the entryway.  
“Tim! You better be awake and ready to go!”  
Tim laughed and walked down the hallway, “Oh shut it. Even if I was still sleeping, it’d be your fault anyway.” He said as he pulled on his shoes.  
“Oh really?” Alex replied before following Tim out the front door.  
Tim turned the key in the lock and faced Alex, “Yes it would, because you know very well I’m not a morning person. What time is it again?”  
Alex punched him lightly in the arm as they walked to his car, “We are up like this every day for school!”  
“But,” Tim said, opening the passenger door and chucking the bag into the backseat, “my body is attuned to sleeping in on Saturdays. You’re throwing it off! I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.” He buckled his seatbelt and grinned at Alex.  
“Oh shove it you big baby.” The other boy said as he reversed carefully out of the driveway and onto the street. He tapped at the GPS and the machine chimed out the directions that would take them to Tuscaloosa, listing their arrival time at exactly one hour from then.  
“Where are we going first?” Tim asked once they were speeding down the highway. “Did the guy from the forums ever get back to you?”  
“He did, so we’re going to meet him at one of the diners in town. We’ll head to the library after that.”  
Tim nodded and the two settled into comfortable silence, the radio filling the space.


End file.
